By Matters India Reporter
Bengaluru, Oct. 8, 2021: A lecture series on dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism ended October 7, after six months.
The lectures were held in collaboration with Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Office of Dialogue and Ecumenism of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, Focolare Movement and Ecumenical Christian Centre (ECC) in Bengaluru, capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
“It was an intellectual and spiritual journey on the promotion of dialogue between dialogue between Christianity and Hinduism,” ECC director Carmelite of Mary Immaculate Father Mathew Chandrankunnel told Matters India.
The theme of the series was “Sages and Saints for Self-Realization and Social Transformation.”
The program that had as many as 22 lectures concluded by the valedictory lecture by Archbishop Joseph Perumthottam of Changanacherry, chairman of CBCI Dialogue and Ecumenism Office. Father Cherian Karukaparambil, the dialogue office secretary, chaired the session.
More than 20 students participated in this certificate program. Based on the lecture they submitted 400-word answers which were evaluated. The best five assignments were given A grades, said Father Chandrankunnel, a professor of theology.
“All participants wrote well reflecting on the saint and often how they could imbibe their spirit, participants were from all Christian denominations,” he added.
Designed and envisioned by Father Chandrankunnel as part of the charism of ECC to bring together cultures, religions, civilizations, and nations and foster the concept of dialogue quite often emphasized by Pope Francis.
On May 6, the chairman of ECC Metropolitan Mar Theodosius Marthoma, head of the Marthoma Church inaugurated the series. Around 90 people continuously participated.
Swami Dayatmananda of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission of Varanasi Math gave the first lecture on Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Archbishop Felix Anthony Machado of Vasai, secretary-general of CBCI, lectured on famous theologian Raimundo Panikkar, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, spoke on Mar Ivanios.
Jesuit Father Sunny Jacob spoke on St Ignatius of Loyola, Bishop Thomas Dabre of Pune on Sant Thukkaram Maharaj (a 17th-century Marathi poet and Hindu saint); Father Thomas Chathamparambil on St Kuriakose Elias Chavara, a founder of Carmelite of Mary Immaculate, first indigenous Catholic religious congregation in India.
Other speakers included Ramnath Narayanaswami on Ramana Maharshi, Edward Ulrich from St Thomas University, Minnesota, the USA on Aurobindo Ghose; Swami Dayatmananda on Sri Vivekananda, Ashok Alur on Basaveshwara, 12th century Social Transformer and founder of Lingayata, Bishop Paul Sarker, Emeritus Primate of Church of Bangladesh on Ravindranath Tagore, Father Augustine Thottakkara on Adi Shankaracharya.
The project ended with the presentation on Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dhekshither and Shymasastrikal, the three saints of Karnatic Music by Shubha Madhusudan, a well-known musicologist and psychologist and recitation by her son Nishanth.
Cherylanne Menesis spoke on Chiara Lubic, the founder of Focolare Movement and Focolare Movement and Interfaith Dialogue by Antonio.
On Edith Stein by Father John Sequareia, rector of Pushashrama Philosophate, Mysore, On the Serampore Trio William Carey, Joshua Marshman and William Ward by Reverend Pratap Chandra Gine.
KCR Raja, a management expert from Mumbai who belongs to the princely Zamoothiri family of Kozhikode, moderated many sessions.
Swami Ananda Sesha Das, director of Bhakti Vedanta Institute, Bhuwaneshar spoke on On Srila Prabhu Pada.
Tangminlun Vaiphei, deputy director of ECC, Rev Sukumar, program executive of ECC, Caroline Busuttil of Focolare Movement, Swami Dayatmananda of Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Father Karukaparambil, secretary of the Dialogue and Ecumenism Commission of CBCI were behind this tedious program.